Although the future of COVID, vaccinations and all that good stuff is still pretty murky, I do feel like now we’re less in the middle of a pandemic and more on the other side of one. I think we’re all so used to pandemic life by now that it’s started to feel completely normal. Our pre-COVID lives a distant memory.
At least that’s how I feel. And although I feel like I’ve coped with this past year quite well, with very little to complain about thankfully, I’m still not immune to the feelings of “what the f*** just happened”. Now that we ARE seemingly coming out the other end, it’s got me wondering more and more whether I’ve been dreaming for the last 12 months.
Sadly not and it’s all very much real. But I’m not one to dwell on the negatives. I firmly believe that we all need to reflect on this last year in a healthy way and come to terms in our own way with what’s happened; to our own lives and the wider world.
I recently wrote a post about the best things to come from the pandemic for me, which was hugely uplifting to write. Like I said, I’m not one to dwell and I like to look on the positive side of almost everything. So today I wanted to talk about some hobbies and habits that we should maintain, even after COVID has left the building.
These hobbies and habits are ones which many of us have picked up over the last year. I know I can safely say I’ve started doing a handful of these which I’m really happy I did that I’ll be continuing for a long-ass time. The pandemic has definitely made us modify, adapt and also question our existing behaviors. Which isn’t a bad thing!
Expressing gratitude more freely
I know a lot of people – bloggers in particular who have written about it – who have been expressing gratitude much more freely and have noticed that this is a habit they have developed over the course of the pandemic. Gratitude is everything, so this is never a bad thing.
Related read: Staying Positive In Lockdown (As An Amputee With a Heart Condition)
Being kinder to people
Since the start of the pandemic, kindness has flowed. I’ve seen it in real life, I’ve heard about it on the news and I’ve seen it online. It’s been wonderful. In a time where we all needed a bit of kindness, we were sharing Amazon wish-lists on Twitter and buying each other gifts, we were offering to shop for items for someone online who couldn’t make it to a shop and much more. And it was beautiful.
Going for more walks
When there was nothing else to do; we went for walks. And I don’t know about anyone else but I’ve really learned to love and cherish my walks now! I rarely went for walks before. Especially on my own and in my local park (which is LITERALLY a stones throw from my house) but now I’m wondering why I left it this long!
Staying away from the news
The news has been a help and a hindrance in equal measures over this last year. Of course it’s important we stay up to date with what’s going on but there has been SO MUCH devastation, worry and heart-break that it’s been vital we limit our news intake. A habit I know a lot of people have done and one we NEED to maintain going toward. Too much news can have such a negative impact.
Being more cautious with germs
I wrote more about this in my post about Staying Safe In a Post COVID World, where I touched on how disgusting everything was before (i.e using a cash machine without gloves, *vom*) and I can’t imagine I’m the only one who feels like being more cautious with germs and being more sanitary is a habit we should take forward. I also can’t believe it took us a whole freaking pandemic to realise.
That should not stop you from having fun, though. However, it pays to be more cautious next time. Wearing sterile nitrile gloves would help. These protect your hands from surfaces that could have millions of germs on them. That would include the toilet and your kitchen counter. So if you’re cleaning these places, you may want to put some protective gloves on first.
On top of that, gloves protect you from the harsh chemicals found in cleaning agents. Just make sure to remove them after using them for one task because you want to avoid transferring germs and bacteria from one place to another.
Reading more books
In January, The Guardian reported that book sales were at a 8 year high. How incredible is that? As a life-long book lover and ex-book blogger, I am absolutely thrilled about this. And I really hope that people continue to buy, read and love books long after the pandemic and maintain reading as a regular hobby.
Related reads:
- 6 Binge-Worthy Fiction Books To Add To Your Summer Reading List
- 5 Non-Fiction Books To Add To Your TBR This Year
Staying in touch with people
Whatever the means. This pandemic has really made us realise the value of connection and communication, even when we can’t physically see someone. We may have gone months beforehand without speaking to someone but when we were told we COULDN’T see them, we realised the importance of keeping in touch. I hope this is a habit that does wonders for friends and families going forward.
Supporting small businesses
Small businesses have been blooming during lockdown because we’ve all realised the importance of supporting them during such a difficult time. And I hope this means we’ll continue to put small businesses first! Some small businesses you should definitely check out are:
Spending more time on self care
Lockdown has given us more time than EVER to work on our self care. And for a lot of people, I can imagine this was quite daunting. Suddenly having nothing to do and nowhere to be and being forced to that that look inward and see how we need to improve our self care.
Related reads:
Being more aware of mental health
This point is particularly for the people who perhaps hadn’t suffered with any mental illness before the pandemic who realised just how hard it is. For the people who didn’t realise how important mental health was – until now. I hope that the pandemic has made you more aware of how important it is to look after your mental health.
Slowing down
This is one I can definitely relate to and although it’s hard for me to do, it’s something I now know is a huge benefit. Lockdown gave us a chance to finally slow down. To finally stop. To finally breathe. And I think we’re all the better for it. I know I am.
[…] I could go on about this for some time and the negative impact that being in the same place has on my mental health but this post isn’t about my declining mental health. I certainly can’t imagine I’m the only one that has missed holidays or feels a bit stuck and stagnant after the last few years of the pandemic. […]
[…] Post to Read: 11 Hobbies & Habits to Maintain after the Pandemic […]
These are all fantastic! I’ve never been as careful about germs as I am now. I grew up with the ‘clean dirt never fattened a pig’ mindset meaning a bit of dirt strengthens the system, but COVID is a whole other board game.
Hello! I’ve developed lots of hobbies!
I do my affirmations every morning, I also meditate and do yoga! This Pandemic has opened my eyes to a more mindful lifestyle.
[…] 11 Positive Hobbies & Habits To Maintain After the Pandemic […]
Definitely want to continue reading more books. I can’t believe I let that take a back seat before the pandemic. There’s so much joy in reading!
There sure is!
Thanks for sharing, I have found being kinder and less selfish during this time has helped although some people are really selfish.
Thank you. Yes some people will always just be selfish!
This is such an important post. I’ve grown a lot over the pandemic and I am excited to continue leading my happier & healthier life. I think it’s important to be kinder to people and support small business more, so thank you for reminding us! Em x
Thank you, I think a lot of people have grown SO much over this year!
I really love this post! Gratitude is definitely a big one – I can see people really appreciating all the simple joys of life that we took for granted before, like hugging our loved ones and going out for a meal. Like you, I also did a lot more walking and reading during the lockdowns and I’m still doing those things now! x
Thank you 🙂 I know, I’ve seen the same and it’s SO nice!
I love this post! The pandemic made me realise what was missing from my life! I took a long look at what made me happy and structured my life around that. I’m in a much better place and it was life changing. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad it had such positive benefits for you!
Shopping small and appreciating what we have were we are are two of the main reasons this pandemic wasn’t too bad on me. I have found that I am a bit like a cat, needing my space and comfort…not too good for the work ethic!
Haha learning that you’re like a cat – a great thing to come out of the pandemic!
This is such an excellent post! Yes, instead of dwelling on the negatives of the pandemic, we must grab hold of all the good things we learned from this year. You make such good points and all of them are important. 🙂
Thank you! Totally agree 🙂 x
Some great points and ideas here, and a lot of habits I definitely want to keep up. Expressing gratitude is a big one, whether it’s in a journal or face to face, totally makes a difference!
Thank you 🙂 Yesss gratitude is everything!
walks is amazing. I wal to a from work well used to but now I walk in peace and actually take time to smell the flowers and listen to the birds. This is by far the best way to love. I dread precovid times. I love even more my simple life! Here’s to my creative dreams becasue I want to work for me .
Amazing that you’ve found those benefits!
Amazing tips, definitely gratitude is a key and supporting small businesses..
It really is!
Yes to all of your suggestions, specially reading 📖 thanks for sharing 😉😉
Yes I’ve been doing a lot of reading too!
A lovely, positive message. Thanks.
I have learnt so much over the past year or so and I definitely do not want to slip back into old habits. I think this pandemic has forced many of us to pay more attention to ourselves and our inner lives. It would be a shame if all those lessons were forgotten once we start getting back to “normal”. Thank you for sharing this post! It’s a great reminder of the good that has come from this difficult time!
I totally agree. It’s been sh*t but it definitely has it’s positives.
Staying away from the news is so helpful, and necessary for my mental health sometimes 🙂 thank you for sharing these tips x
Yes totally agree. Too much news is so damaging!
Monitoring my news intake and cutting back on it is definitely one I’m taking forward with me. I really noticed how too much could bring me down, so it’s all about moderation. Not so much a habit, but this past year I’ve formed some great relationships with my coworkers. We don’t get to see many people other than each other, so it’s been great to get to know them more and have fun together 🙂
Totally agree. That’s great to hear too!
Yes to this post! I’ve definitely learnt to slow down over this past year and I’m really going to try and keep it up x
I hope you manage it!
I am definitely going to try my best to maintain as many of these habits as I can. I definitely want to stay away from negative news, read more books and schedule time for self-care.
Antonia || Sweet Passions
Love it! Hope you keep those things up x
Awesome post! Staying away from news, go for more walks, and spending more time for self-care are certainly my habits after the pandemic happened. I also want to continue reading more books. Thanks for sharing x
Hope you manage to keep those up!
Interesting read, staying away from news, spending time on self care and reading books are my favorite habits. Great posts.
Thank you x
Yes to all of these Jenny! Reading books has always been a thing for me but the pandemic encouraged me to stop reading what was popular or everyone else was reading but read for me. I also want to continue shopping with small businesses and I love how a lot of people are a lot kinder and the idea of expressing gratitude more often too.
Love that! It’s so easy to just follow the crowd with books isn’t it?
Reading books is one habit that’s not going away for me. I was able to increase my income tremendously by reading business books. Going to buy a fictional book this month as a gift to myself. Hope I get to finish it.
That’s great to hear!